Sporting Kansas City suffered a bitter 3-2 loss to Portland Thursday in the second leg of the Western Conference Finals. Here are three things we learned from SKC’s season-ending match:
SKC’s best playoff run in years still disappointed
By the standards of most programs in most sports, being one game away from a championship appearance would resonate as successful. And in some ways, it was for Kansas City. It was the first time SKC made it past the pesky knockout round since 2013. Still, this team believed in its talent and ability to get to the MLS Cup all season. So, not reaching that point is kind of a dark cloud that an overall great year can’t outshine — at least for now.
“My gut right now is disappointment,” defender Matt Besler said. “We brought a lot of guys in that brought a lot to our team and adapted immediately and accepted this city and this team and the culture, and SKC Nation has accepted them. From that perspective, it was a very enjoyable year to be on this team. … Hopefully we can take something out of this feeling that we have right now and use it as motivation.
“I think situations like this, they’re going to stick with you for a long time,” head coach Peter Vermes said. “It’s a motivating factor in my opinion.”
Sometimes flair just wins
In most situations this season, Kansas City demonstrated a certain level of flair. There was the Johnny Russell celebration backflip. There was the Daniel Salloi no-look goal to seal a place in the Western Conference Finals. But on Thursday, SKC instead was on the receiving end of memorable match highlights.
Portland’s Sebastian Blanco almost toyed with defenders when he took the ball in space in the 52nd minute, his team down 1-0. There were plenty of chances to maintain possession, to slide a crisp, sensible pass and set up a sure shot. But Blanco found a better angle at goal and let loose a shot that might well have singed the top corner of the net. It was a curler that even the newly-deadened Children’s Mercy Park crowd could have appreciated, if only it weren’t against their team.
No-nonsense Vermes
It was an ugly scene after about the 60th minute at Children’s Mercy Park. Fans calling for an offside flag on Diego Valeri after he scored the goal that gave Portland a 2-1 lead took to throwing trash on the field in protest. Vermes marched nearly to the other side of the stadium from his stance on the sideline, imploring fans to stop. He was visibly angry and shouting at fans.
It was a rare instance of a coach communicating with fans during a match, especially in frustration.
“First time we’ve experienced that here,” he said, “and I hope it’s the last time.”